IUBio

Betty Martini (fwd)

Betty Martini betty at noel.pd.org
Thu Jul 13 13:15:36 EST 1995


Regarding this posting that I did - there is an error, accidently hit 
sent button before I could correct.  Commissioner Hayes of the FDA 
resigned in September 1983 not 1981.  He then went to work for 
Burson-Marsteller Searle's public relations firm.  Hayes is then 
unavailable to the press for the next ten years.  This happened after the 
approval of carbonated beverages.  The Congressional Record on the point 
of carbonated beverages (Protest of the National Soft Drink Assn) said 
they used the wrong test when the right one was available, did not pick 
up aspartic acid, used the wrong solution (a buffered solution instead of 
beverage matrix), didn't test for breakdown products (a witches brew of 
formaldehyde, formic acid (ant sting poison) and DKP (a brain tumor agent),
and didn't test for temperature elevation.  At 86 degrees aspartame 
liberates methanol in the can.

In November 1984 The Center for Disease Control reviewed 213 of 592 cases 
of aspartame complaints. Ages of the complainants ranged from four months 
to 77 years; 77% were between the ages of 21 and 60 years, 75% were 
female, and 94% were white.  Twenty-eight percent reported repeated 
episodes of symptoms and 26 people experienced identical symptoms.  Some 
of the reported symptoms included:  aggressive behavior, disorientation, 
hyperactivity, extreme numbness, excitability, memory loss, loss of depth 
perception, liver impairment, cardiac arrest, seizures, suicidal 
tendencies, severe mood swings and death.  The CDC recommended future 
investigations of aspartame investigate the neurological and behavioral 
problems and focus on symptoms as headaches, mood alterations and 
behavior changes.  Frederick L. Trowbridge adds an executive summary to 
the report which conflicts with the information in the report.  He 
states, "Currently available information, based on data with limitations 
as described in the report, indicated a wide variety of complaints that 
are generally of a mild nature.  Although it may be that certain 
individuals have an unusual sensitivity to the product, these data do not 
provide evidence for the existence of serious, widespread, adverse health 
consequences to the use of aspartame."  (Center for Disease Control, 
Division of Nutrition, Center for Health Promotion and Education.  
"Evaluation of Consumer Complaints Related to Aspartame Use." (November, 
1984".

On December 21, 1988 Senator Metzenbaum issues a press release saying 
senators should not approve the appointment of Sam Skinner as Department 
of Transportation secretary without an inquiry concerning Skinner's 
failure, as U. S. district attorney in the Northern Illinois District to 
pursue allegations about fradulent testing of NutraSweet.  Metzenbaum 
raises the issue of Skinner accepting a position with Searle's law firm, 
Sidley and Austin, during the time the FDA asked Skinner to review 
allegations of fradulent safety tests by Searle and urges the Senate to 
convene a grand jury to investigate the charges.  (Sen. Howard Metzenbaum 
press release of December 21, 1988)  The district attorney goes to work 
for the godfather?!

On January 25, 1989 Senator Metzenbaum issues a press release saying that 
Skinner acknowledged he may have made mistakes in the NutraSweet 
investigation, but Metzenbaum says he supports Skinner's nomination as 
secretary of the Department of Transportation.  Could this be the reason 
that the FAA does not supply assistance in warning pilots of the many 
grand mal seizures that are on record from pilots who had grand mal 
seizures in the cockpit of commercial airliners from consuming NutraSweet?

On February 28, 1994 The Department of Health and Human Services report 
on adverse reactions attributed to aspartame and lists 6,888 complaints 
including 649 reported by the Centers for Disease Control and 1,305 
reported by the FDA.  Aspartame accounts for the majority (75.7%) of all 
the complaints in the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System.

The report of April, l995 and list over 10,000 complaints.  In June of 
this year the FDA announced that they would no longer compile complaints 
on aspartame.  Most people don't even report complaints to the FDA, they 
just stop using the product when they have a reaction.  However, 
complaints continue to come in by the thousands and are recorded by the 
ASPARTAME CONSUMER SAFETY NETWORK, WORLDWIDE PILOT HOTLINE and MISSION 
POSSIBLE.  Sleeping are federal regulators who turn a blind eye and deaf 
ear to complaints!


Betty Martini
Domain:  betty at pd.org
UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!betty

On Thu, 13 Jul 1995, Betty Martini wrote:

> LET'S SEE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THE FOLLOWING FACTS, AS REPORTED 4/20/95 BY
> THE DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ON
> 
>         "SYMPTOMS ATTRIBUTED TO ASPARTAME IN COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED TO FDA*"
>            *Some cnsumers described more than one symptom attriuted 
>              
>            Headache                       1,847
>            Dizziness/poor equilibrium       735
>            Change in Mood                   656 
>            Vomiting or Nausea               647
>            Abdominal Pain & Cramps          453
>            Change in Vision                 362
>            Diarrhea                         330
>            Siezures and Convulsions         290
>            Memory Loss                      255
>            Fatigue, weakness                242   (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?)
>            Other Neurological               230
>            Rash                             226
>            Sleep Problems                   201
>            Hives                            191
>            Change in Heart Rate             185
>            Itching                          175
>            Grand Mal                        174    (add to siezures, above)
>            Numbness, Tingling               172
>            Local swelling                   114
>            Change in activity level         113    (see Fatigue, above)
>            Difficulty Breathing             112
>            Oral sensory changes             108
>            Change inmenstraul pattern       107
>            Symptoms reported by less 
>                than 100 complaints        1,812     GRAND TOTAL:  9,737!
> 
> This catalogue of misery represents more than 75% of the complaints the 
> FDA has received on any food additive.  Now they've closed the reporting
> window, according to a report I received last week; they're not accepting
> additional complaints.  When you smell smoke do you wait till the house is
> ablaze before investigating for yourself?
> 
> January 10, 1977 in a 33 page letter FDA Chief Counsel Richard Merrill 
> recommended to US Attorney Sam Skinner that a grand jury investigate
> Searl for concealing material facts and making false statements in reports
> calling attention to studies on the effect of NSweet on monkeys & hamsters.
> February 2, 1977 Skinner is offered a job with Sidley & Austin, Searl's 
> law firm and the case was dropped. 
> 
> After overruling the findings of a public board of inquiry on 7/15/81
> to approve NutraSweet for dry products Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr, FDA
> Commissioner hired on with Burson-Marsteller, Searl/NutraSweet's\
> public relations firm as "Senior scientific consultant."  Scientific
> Consultant for a PR firm: to understand that just think of an Art Director
> for a Pig Farm.  
> 
> FDA = FATAL DRUGS ALLOWED!
> 
> Betty Martini
> Domain:  betty at pd.org
> UUCP:  ...!emory!pd.org!betty
> 
> 
> 



More information about the Neur-sci mailing list

Send comments to us at biosci-help [At] net.bio.net